Shoelace knot retainers are known in the art, and are of two general types. The first type comprises a cylinder having an axis transverse to the shoelace having a knot. This type of shoelace knot retainer is, for example, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,106,003 to Herdman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,340 to Herdman and in U.S. Pat. No. De. 200,394 to Hakim.
The second type of shoelace knot retainer comprises a generally cylindrical element where the shoelace having the knot to be retained lies in a direction which is generally parallel to the axis of the cylindrical element. A shoelace knot retainer such as this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,321,815 to Herdman.
A shoelace knot retainer of either type mentioned above commonly has a bell fixed to it. In the first type of shoelace knot retainer, the bell is fixed to an end of a cylindrical element. Thus, as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,340 to Herdman and in the design patent to Hakim, a bell may be centrally located on the cylindrical cap of a shoelace knot retainer of the first type. In the shoelace knot retainer shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,340, the bell rests in a cylindrical recess in the cylindrical cap, which is for the sole purpose of providing a circular groove in the interior of the cap for securing the two parts of the knot retainer together.
It is also known to provide a bell on the shoelace knot retainer of the second type. The bell on this type of shoelace knot retainer, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,321,815 to Herdman, is fixed to a central portion of the side wall of the cylinder which forms the shoelace knot retainer.